Open call for HCAC volunteers
The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) mission is to promote art, art education, and innovation in art. Located on Main…
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This must be the place: ‘Meet me in the city and see everything is so fine’
About 10:30 a.m. last Tuesday, I laced up my running shoes and walked out the front door of the small…
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‘And we could all together’: A conversation with Lyle Lovett
From humble beginnings as a teenage singer-songwriter in his native Texas to gracing some of the most iconic stages the…
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Don’t overlook Matt Peiken’s ‘The Overlook’ pod
After 20 years in daily newspapers, journalist Matt Peiken took a buyout from the St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press in…
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‘We are still here’: Indigenous Walls Project sparks social dialogue
The human condition frequently subjects us to the lie that every experience we face daily is also what every other…
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This must be the place: ‘And I thought I’ve seen someone who seemed at last to know the truth’
Hello from Room 1D at the Rathbone Mansion, just a few blocks from the French Quarter in New Orleans. It’s…
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This must be the place: Life is what you make it, and if you make it death, well rest your soul away
It was nearing midnight on Saturday. The rock band in the corner of the bar had just put the finishing…
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This must be the place: Ode to The Weathercock, ode to the fine folks of Chazy
I caught first word of The Weathercock burning to the ground mid-afternoon on Saturday. Scrolling the Facebook news feed, I…
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New WCU immersive exhibition
The immersive installation ”Courtney M. Leonard — BREACH: Logbook | CORIOLIS” is being showcased through May 5 in the Fine Art…
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In search of the muse: Haywood Arts names new art and gallery manager
Local artist Lauren Medford was recently promoted to the art and gallery manager at the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC)…
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Cultivating creativity: Haywood artists receive support grants
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), along with regional partners — including the Asheville Area Arts Council, Transylvania Community Arts Council,…
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This must be the place: ‘Either way I wonder sometimes about the outcome of a still verdictless life’
With my 38th birthday right around the corner, I went on a first date last week. It seemed to go…
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This must be the place: To rouse the spirit of the earth and move the rolling sky
Hello from Room 827 at the Marriott Town Center in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. The outside temperature is dropping, all…
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Between the heavy and the light: Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers
With the recent departure of founding member Woody Platt, the Steep Canyon Rangers found themselves at a crossroads — now…
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This must be the place: If you lived here, you’d be home by now
Sitting in The Scotsman in downtown Waynesville on Sunday evening, I found myself sporadically watching the last NFL game of…
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This must be the place: ‘Goin’ places that I’ve never been, seein’ things that I may never see again’
There’s an old backpack in my apartment. I’ve had it since college. And since those academic days back in Connecticut…
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Finding a sense of balance: Cherokee artist unveils latest pieces
Balance, rhythm, and equilibrium are all words that mean so much, yet we as a society struggle to grasp the…
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Litmus test of a community: A look back at the arts in WNC 2022
As it has been stated in this publication many times before, the litmus test of the strength of a community…
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This must be the place: ‘Can’t live without you so it seems, honey sew another patch on my jeans’
New Year’s Eve. A little past 9 a.m. in Room 211 of the Holiday Inn Express on the outskirts of…
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Show Me Something Higher: Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon
It’s 2:54 a.m. in the rural backwoods of Virginia and Vince Herman hands me a shot of high-end tequila. With…
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This must be the place: ‘You will receive a big compliment from others. Lucky numbers: 15, 18, 30, 32, 40, 42’
It was another quiet Sunday morning in the ole humble abode in downtown Waynesville. But, this go-round, it was Christmas…
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This must be the place: Remember no man is a failure who has friends
Sunday morning. Across the globe, Argentina and France were battling it out in the World Cup soccer final in Qatar.…
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This must be the place: Know it’s a wonderful world, if you can put aside the sadness
It’s 51 degrees with a warm sun and blue skies hovering above downtown Waynesville. A little after 2 p.m. Monday…
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Art Basel brings indigenous work to Miami Beach
Throughout the ages, art has given us a means to display all facets of our lives to the world; it…
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The sound of community: With Christmas Jam back from hiatus, ‘Jam By Day’ returns
After four years of radio silence, the nationally revered Warren Haynes Christmas Jam will return for its 31st installment on…
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This must be the place: Morning comes wearing diamonds, where she is, the sun is shining
Hello from Room 128 at the Red Roof Inn in Hardeeville, South Carolina, just north of the Georgia state line…
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Brotherhood and backwoods tradition: A retrospective on Balsam Range
Writers’ Note: Since I started in the position of arts and entertainment editor at The Smoky Mountain News in 2012,…
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This must be the place: Lace up the running shoes, head out the door and get after it
As of yesterday, Monday, Nov. 28, I’ve run 2,525 days in a row. I hadn’t checked in on “the streak”…
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This must be the place: And a man must forfeit all he owns for a glimpse at the reason why
I was about an hour behind schedule leaving my native Plattsburgh, New York, the truck aimed for Waynesville and greater…
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Choices and changes: A conversation with Sierra Hull
At just 31 years old, Sierra Hull is already a legend in the bluegrass world. With her signature songbird vocals…
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This must be the place: One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls
I had about an hour window of no rain before the remnants of the tropical storm would slowly, but surely,…
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I am one of you forever: A conversation with Fred Chappell
In conversation, Fred Chappell is a man of few words and sentiments. Perhaps that’s because he uses all of his…
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This must be the place: It takes a lifetime to find, a life like the life you had in mind
It’s a dreary early late fall afternoon here at my folks’ farmhouse, tucked away on a side road, just off…
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‘We Will Not be Silenced’ exhibit, reception
A reception for the “We Will Not be Silenced: Standing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” exhibit will be held…
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This must be the place: You want to find the truth in life, don’t pass music by
Hello from Room 307 at the Hilton Garden Inn amid the coastal community of Monterey, California. It’s 11 a.m. and…
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That’s the only way we get it right: A conversation with Chris Staples
Sliding into a chair at a table in Orchard Coffee, in the heart of downtown Waynesville, singer-songwriter Chris Staples lets…
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Want to paint, sip craft beer?
Robin Arramae of WNC Paint Events will be continuing her fun paint nights to bring you not only a “night…
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It’s workin’ all right for me: A conversation with Lilly Hiatt
At the core of all beloved singer-songwriters is this raw honesty and genuine compassion, to conjure the good, bad and…
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This must be the place: And we all will die, and even the stars will fade out one after another in time
Slowly opening my eyes in the waning hours of Sunday morning, I could hear the last of the fall foliage…
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Preserving the past, perpetuating the future: Smoky Mountain Heritage Center sparks inspiration, camaraderie
Cruising along Soco Road in the heart of Maggie Valley, one immediately notices the bright lights of the sign in…
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This must be the place: The air was soft, the stars so fine, the promise of every cobbled alley so great
Editor’s Note: While on assignment for Rolling Stone out in Monterey, California, last weekend, Garret decided to hang out in…
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Hopping right along: Waynesville brewery expands Frog Level footprint, opens Asheville location
Grabbing the last empty picnic table behind Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville one recent afternoon, Frank Bonomo gazed along the…
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This must be the place: I’ll eat when I’m hungry, I’ll drink when I’m dry, and when I get thirsty I’ll lay down and cry
Emerging from his merchandise table at The Grey Eagle in Asheville last week, legendary troubadour Ramblin’ Jack Elliott moseyed on…
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Still got this dream that you just can’t shake: Chan Kinchla of Blues Traveler
Since 1987, New Jersey-based Blues Traveler has remained one of the hardest working and most resilient rock acts in the…
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This must be the place: Could have been the Willie Nelson, could have been the wine
Waking up in the hotel room at the Chateau Laurier in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, last Saturday morning, I rubbed my…
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This must be the place: Beg, steal or borrow two nickels or a dime to call me on the phone
Room 424. Marriott City Center. Raleigh. Thursday. Awakened by the sounds of a banjo and laughter in the hallway, the…
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This must be the place: Instead of insight, maybe all a man gets is strength to wander for a while
What’s that feeling you get pulling back up in front of your humble abode after weeks away, wandering and pondering?
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Hidden amongst the tree line: Highland’s Skyline Lodge combines natural, culinary beauty
Pulling up to the Skyline Lodge, a peaceful silence washes over you while emerging from your vehicle. Walking toward the…
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Ready to try theater?
The Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville is currently offering a wide variety of classes in the theater arts for…
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Opening the doors of creativity: Haywood Arts Studio Tour to be held Sept. 24-25
The Haywood County Arts Council’s annual Haywood County Studio Tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,…
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